


my body's a zombie for you

by zombiejuju



Series: Sexy September [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Autumn, College AU, Fluff, Halloween, Jalec Sexy September, M/M, mundane AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-24 23:58:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12023820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombiejuju/pseuds/zombiejuju
Summary: Halfway throughThe Lost Boys, Jace recognizes how close he and Alec are. Their knees are touching, his arm is draped on the couch behind Alec’s shoulders, a throw blanket is shared between their laps, and Alec is resting the popcorn against where their thighs graze each other.





	my body's a zombie for you

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic is brought to you by my love for:  
> autumn & Halloween  
> and  
> the movie _The Lost Boys_  
> 
> 
>   
>  Warnings: Questionable judgment on Jace's part and an overindulgent love for the idea of Jace doing finger guns.
> 
> Prompted by [Jalec Sexy September: Week 1 - Fall](https://jalec-net.tumblr.com/post/164406907655/sexy-september-jalec-challenge).
> 
> (Dis)Honorable Mentions: Clary Fray and Isabelle Lightwood.
> 
> Update: Better title name. New title is from a song with the same name by Dead Man's Bones. Previously "autumn doesn't have feelings (and neither does jace)".

This year, Alec’s obsession with autumn starts at 8am on September 22nd.

Jace groans as the buzz of lilted, excited chatter coming from their kitchen wakes him up. He blinks, uses the back of his hand to wipe gunk from his eyes, and rolls out of bed. The moment he's in the hallway, Alec’s beloved vinyl copy of “Monster Mash” starts up. It blares through their dorm and Jace rolls his eyes.

“Alec, for fuck’s sake, it’s not even October yet,” Jace says as he drags himself into the kitchen. The room smells faintly of cinnamon and a tiny, dancing glow catches his attention, “God, the pumpkin spice candle already?!”

“I never want to hear you say those words to me again,” Alec starts, grabbing the coffee pot and pouring a cup for Jace, overloading it with sugar and cream before handing it to him, “And also, yes. Pumpkins are not seasonal. Planted in spring, maintained during summer, harvested in fall, eaten in winter. They're always relevant.”

“You’re so full of shit, it’s no wonder your eyes are brown,” Jace says. He takes a sip of his coffee, face contorting in disgust, and lets the liquid dribble from his mouth back into the cup, “Seriously? How did you sneak pumpkin spice coffee into this dorm already?”

“Actually, it’s sweet cinnamon pumpkin,” Izzy says from the table in the corner, hand wrapped around a warm mug. Eyes trained to a textbook thicker than anything Jace has ever read in his life, she’s using a pink highlighter to sparingly select pertinent information, “Good morning, by the way. Thanks for noticing me, your other beloved roommate.”

“You don’t deserve my love,” Jace says. He dumps his mug out in the sink and places it on the countertop, “You encourage this ridiculous behavior.”

“It makes him happy.”

“Still here,” Alec says, sipping his coffee ruefully, but even his face sours at the taste.

* * *

“It’s the first week of October and I haven’t heard you play _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_ soundtrack once,” Jace tries after a week of Alec ignoring him, “I’m starting to miss doing ‘The Time Warp’, honestly.”

Alec is sitting on their frumpy brown couch, knees drawn up to support the sketchpad balanced on his lap. He’s rubbing a black pencil furiously across a page, the rest of the world blocked out by the earbuds he's wearing. Jace pulls one out as gently as he can, not wanting to hurt or startle Alec.

“Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, but seriously, don’t. I’m busy,” Alec says, eyes focused on his artwork. After a moment, he stops drawing and holds his phone up to Jace’s face. Jace smiles at the screen, which shows that Alec’s listening to the soundtrack on Spotify, “Don’t worry, I’ve been blasting it for myself on repeat.”

“What about me though?” Jace tries.

“You hate all that stuff,” Alec replies without missing a beat, putting his phone back on the cushion beside his foot.

“I don’t hate it. I just don’t love it as much as you do.”

“Yeah, so, I’m cutting back for you. I know it’s been a burden.”

“Nothing you like is a burden to me,” Jace says, sending a reassuring smile Alec’s way but Alec doesn’t even bother looking at him. The room freezes in a way Jace thinks is only possible in the dead of winter. A deep, raw cold. Something hard to shake off.

* * *

“Alec. Alec. Wake up,” Jace says while shaking Alec’s shoulder harshly.

“What time is it?” Alec asks without opening his eyes.

“10.”

“You better mean p.m.,” Alec responds, blinking into awareness. He glares at Jace when he realizes it’s much too bright outside to be nighttime, “Why are you waking me up on a Saturday morning?”

“Because we don’t have classes today. So I thought...that we could spend it together.”

“Can’t. Busy,” Alec says in a flat tone. He turns onto his side, back to Jace.

“Doing what?”

“Catching up on all that sleep I miss during the school week. Then I have a couple of essays I gotta work on. Plus, I have to do prelim research for my thesis.”

“C’mon, Alec. That stuff can wait,” Jace whines, “I wanna go to Starbucks and that little park downtown.”

“Why?”

“Pumpkin spice lattes and fall foliage.”

“That’s all stuff I like,” Alec scoffs.

“Doesn’t seem like it. If you liked it, you’d be out of bed by now,” Jace says, turning to leave, bare feet dragging on Alec’s carpet, “Thought you’d want to bust out your dusty Canon and snap some sick shots but I guess not.”

“Wait!” Alec shouts before sighing, “Fine.”

“Yes! I knew you couldn’t resist,” Jace says, smirking. He pauses, remembering something, “Oh, and text me.”

“Why? We’re both right here.”

“Just do it, okay?”

Alec nods and grabs his phone from the bedside table, types out a quick ‘you’re an idiot’, and hits send. A haunting melody, something old and novelty, drifts from Jace’s pocket.

“Is that...is that ‘Grim Grinning Ghosts’ from _The_ _Haunted Mansion_?” Alec asks, a grin spreading across his sleepy face.

“Yeah,” Jace beams back at Alec, “You told me it’s one of your favorites. So I made it my ringtone for you for this month. You know, festive spirit and whatnot.”

* * *

“So after the park, I was thinking we could binge some of your fave movies,” Jace says, “How’s this sound: _Haunted Mansion_ , then _Beetlejuice_ , then _Lost Boys_?”

“Sounds fine. Cool,” Alec replies, still staring out the window. He sips his tea.

“I’m surprised you didn’t get a pumpkin spice latte. You wait all year for those.”

“Some cafés sell them all year ‘round,” Alec says after giving a half-assed shrug, “It’s not that special.”

“It kinda is. You don’t drink them before September.”

“Just because I wait for something doesn’t make it special,” Alec throws back, standing from their cozy spot in the corner, “Let’s go to the park now. I wanna get some photos for my portfolio.”

* * *

Jace is sitting on a park bench in front of a tree well on its way to hibernation. The leaves are sunset orange and all it takes is a light breeze to send them swaying through the air. Alec kneels on the pathway in front of the bench, taking extensive photographs of Jace.

“This lighting sucks. Stupid fucking gloom,” Alec pulls the camera from his face and glares at the viewfinder in disgust.

“I think the cloudy sky will make your photos look mysterious,” Jace says, shifting awkwardly on the bench, “You’re not giving me enough direction.”

“It’s fine. You’re fine. Just...do your thing. It’s more about the setting anyway.”

“I am offended. Why won’t your portfolio revolve around me?” Jace asks, pressing a palm to his chest. Alec laughs and takes a burst of photos, “No, don’t take pictures of me when I’m at my weakest.”

Jace readjusts, resting the back of his hand against his forehead. Alec snaps more pictures and, wow, Jace feels at ease, more comfortable than he has in the past two weeks.

* * *

Halfway through _The Lost Boys_ , Jace recognizes how close he and Alec are. Their knees are touching, his arm is draped on the couch behind Alec’s shoulders, a throw blanket is shared between their laps, and Alec is resting the popcorn against where their thighs graze each other.

"I don't know how to help you, Michael, so I'll just fuck you," Jace pipes up when the sex scene between Michael and Star begins. Illuminated by the screen’s glow, Alec turns to Jace and rolls his eyes at him.

“You really do hate her,” Alec says, but it sounds like a question.

“Yeah, man. She’s getting in the way of my...what’s it called? When you couple up two people that you think should be together?”

“Ship? OTP?”

“Yeah, that. OTP. David and Michael for life,” Jace says. He reaches into the bowl for a fistful of popcorn that he promptly crams into his mouth.

Alec takes the hint and pretends to focus on the movie, but really he’s thinking about Clary, how she'd gotten between them. Not quite their Star, but close enough. And really, Jace can’t hate Star because he’s the reason Clary ended up getting between them. Alec sips his root beer, something smug about the action, even though Jace can’t hear his thoughts, can’t be confronted by them.

“God, David’s so fucking obsessed,” Alec says as the film comes to an end.

"He reminds me of that guy from that other movie you like. You know, with all the weird puppets and David Bowie singing.”

“ _Labyrinth_. Which guy?”

“David Bowie.”

“Jareth.”

“Yeah, him. Like at the end, when Jareth is like, ‘I did everything you wanted’. David does the same thing: ‘I tried to make you immortal.’ But people are just ungrateful little shits.”

“I literally cannot believe you’re siding with Jareth _and_ David,” Alec says. He pinches the bridge of his nose, “Okay, sure. Well, at the very least, David’s an asshole.”

“He’s pulling pigtails, man. He’s clearly in love with Michael.”

“And how did you come to that conclusion?” Alec asks. Jace takes a deep breath, and...

“Let’s start with David giving Michael his blood. It’s not like he’s running around turning everyone. Gets him high and fucks with his mind because he knows it’s the only way he’ll get to keep him. He never stops saying Michael’s name, talks to him in a way meant to keep him. ‘You’ll like it here, Michael.’ ‘Come with us, Michael.’ ‘Drink some of this, Michael.’

“What about, ‘Stop fighting me, Michael. I don’t want to kill you’? And when Michael asks if David’s afraid to face him? More like, afraid to hurt someone he loves. It’s like, does David lose the fight on purpose because he can’t bare the thought of hurting Michael? And when Michael slams David against the wall, near the antlers, he gives him this hurt look like, ‘you’d really kill me?’”

“You’re really twisted for seeing it that way,” Alec says. He reaches for the remote and shuts the movie off, “Okay, well, all in all, that movie was not as good as I remembered.”

“Don’t insult one of your faves. It’s probably just because you’re so depressed. I mean, you’re not in the spirit at all.”

“I wonder why that is,” Alec replies, shifting away from Jace. He puts the popcorn on the coffee table and tosses their blanket onto an empty couch cushion.

“Hey, man. I’m trying.”

“To do what exactly?” Alec asks as he stands and pulls the string to turn the living room light back on.

“To make it up to you. Starbucks? The park? A meta as fuck discussion about _The Lost Boys_?” Jace begs. He runs a hand through his hair, messing it up in an artfully disheveled sort of way, “Give me some credit, please.”

* * *

 

“You know what David should’ve said to Michael?” Jace throws out when he’s hanging in Alec’s room later, sitting on his bed. They’re drinking hot chocolate, with a heart exploding amount of whipped cream and cinnamon flakes on top, from mugs the size of soup bowls.

“Hm? What?”

“My blood is in your veins and if you let me, I’ll put something else in you.”

Alec pauses, mug halfway to his mouth. He turns to look at Jace, head tilting in thought, and then...then he cracks up. Totally loses his shit.

“Would that have worked or what?” Jace asks, proud, eyebrows waggling, “How’s my gay pick up lines?”

“Yeah, I think Michael would’ve gone for that,” Alec acquiesces, then, “But pick up lines don’t have a sexuality, just want to point that out.”

“Okay, man. But could I have bagged a dude with that or what?”

“It’s not that hard. Not for someone who looks like you,” Alec says. His honesty makes a blush flare up over the top of Jace’s cheeks and ears.

“Okay, man, but what if the dude was so far in the closet he was chasing after the goat that stole his sock?”

“It’s a faun, Jace,” Alec says, rolling his eyes before narrowing them, “Wait, are we...are we talking about me?”

“Yeah,” Jace whispers and nods lazily, “Let’s finally get it out in the open, you know?”

“I’m not in the closet. I just don’t say things that don’t need to be said," Alec says. He pauses, inhales deeply, "And it doesn’t matter because you’re straight, remember? So you don’t need to be using lines on anyone but girls.”

“I never said that. Maybe I don’t walk around broadcasting my life either,” Jace says. He rolls his head to the left, looking at Alec, and that’s when he sees it: whipped cream sticking to Alec’s top lip. He gulps, mouth drying out on him, “Is David your type?”

“I dunno,” Alec replies, trying to lock eyes with Jace, who won’t look away from his lips. He’s not sure if it’d be better or worse if they _were_ making eye contact, “Is Michael yours?”

Jace looks up into Alec’s eyes, licks his lips, and nods. The small gesture looks like he’s reassuring himself of something instead of answering Alec. Jace puts his mug on the floor next to the bed. Eyes holding a glint of determination, he moves into Alec’s lap. The sudden, surprising movement causes Alec to spill some of his lukewarm chocolate on himself. Not that he would notice if it were hot enough to burn him, not with how Jace is staring so intensely at him.

“Yeah, yeah he is,” Jace says, hand coming up to cup Alec’s face, thumb stroking along his cheekbone.

“Is your love for autumn growing?”

“Oh, _that_. That’s not for autumn, I promise you.”

“Jace, no. Not that,” Alec says. A huge grin splits his lips and brings light to his dark eyes, “No. Just...all the shit we did today.”

“Sure, yeah. I mean autumn’s liked me for a while and to be fair, I always liked it back. I’m just waiting for autumn to tell me.”

“Seasons can’t talk, Jace. And I’m pretty sure...oh,” Alec stops and looks at Jace’s arm, as if he’d forgot for a moment that Jace was touching him so tenderly, “That. Why are you always so cryptic?”

“That was me being obvious," Jace says. He steels himself and searches Alec’s eyes for a moment before speaking, “I like you. Do you like me too?”

“Yes, idiot,” Alec replies, closing the space between their faces for the sweetest of kisses.

* * *

Jace and Alec walk onto the dance floor together, holding hands, dressed like David and Michael. Izzy walks to meet them, dancing her way into the crowd as she readjusts her latex Catwoman jumpsuit.

“Started from the bottom now we’re here,” She says, looking down at their joined hands. Alec blushes and looks away but Jace just winks and shoots a finger gun at her.


End file.
